PJ Library Presents: Beyond The Bookcase

Mysterious things are happening in Auntie PJ's library! Join siblings Miri and Micah as they journey to the land of Mashal, a magical place where stories come to life (with a Jewish twist).  Subscribe to Beyond the Bookcase to listen to new episodes each month. pjlibrary.org/podcast

Welcome to Beyond the Bookcase - a new series from PJ Library! Siblings Miri and Micah are visiting the eccentric synagogue librarian, Auntie PJ, when they are suddenly whisked away to a magical world full of fairytale characters. What does the old story of the tortoise and the hare have to do with Shabbat? Are Golems made to announce sporting matches? Will anyone help Chicken Little with her socks? Find out during the premiere episode of Beyond the Bookcase. New episodes drop every month--subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts to follow the story.

Miri, Micah, and their two friends thought they were headed to the synagogue library to help Auntie PJ prepare for Hanukkah. Instead, they’re swept into a surprise holiday journey, mystically transported to the land of Mashal. They arrive to discover the annual Festival of Lights is in jeopardy. Jack, the high-jumping star of the show, is too afraid to do his big Hanukkiah stunt. Jack may be nimble, but he’ll need serious help from the kids if he’s also going to be brave.

A new friend named Jacob joins the kids to help Auntie PJ gather donations for people in need. But since this is no ordinary synagogue library, this tzedakah mission takes a detour to the mysterious land of Mashal. That’s where Goldilocks and Baby Bear happen to be working on some good deeds of their own! The kids end up on a tzedakah adventure, offering help to other fairy tale characters along the way.

Auntie PJ is teaching the kids about hashavat aveidah, the Jewish commandment about returning lost objects to their rightful owners. Transported to the mystical land of Mashal, they find their fairy tale friend Jack. He’s recovering from a frisbee golf injury, so he needs the kids’ help doing some hashavat aveidah of his own. He has to return a certain golden goose, and its rightful owner is a pretty BIG deal in the land of Mashal. Featuring special guest voice Matt Gutman. 

The kids come to the library for a Pajama Havdalah event, but their upcoming move has Blue feeling more stressed than blessed. Whisked away to the fantastic land of Mashal, the kids run into Chicken Little, who can relate to Blue’s fear of change. She’s upset about Shabbat coming to an end. A Havdalah walk through Mashal is just what this group needs in order to learn that endings open the door for sweet new beginnings.

It’s time for the purimspiel, the annual performance telling the story of Purim. The kids are trying to decide which characters everyone will play but they can’t get Jacob to settle on a role. Once again transported to the land of Mashal, they meet Bubbe and a not-so-bad wolf named Zev. He’s having his own trouble finding his role in Mashal’s Purim carnival. They’ll all have to work together to help both Zev and Jacob pick the perfect part.

A tomato and dairy shortage is threatening to cancel the annual matzah pizza cookoff, and Auntie PJ is freaking out! The kids are whisked away to the land of Mashal where Humpty Dumpty is about to crack under the pressure of hosting his first seder. The kids get help from all their fairytale friends (and even Mr. Saifair) to pick up the Passover pieces and help Humpty keep it together.

It’s Shavuot and the kids have arrived in the mystical land of Mashal to find things in chaos! It seems Zev and several of his fairytale friends have introduced the idea of a day with NO RULES. The kids already have their hands full helping to get things back in order, and then Mr. Saifair takes drastic measures, aiming to get Mashal under control ... with no children allowed ever again! Learn more about the holiday of Shavuot at pjlibrary.org/shavuot.

In this season finale of Beyond the Bookcase, things go beyond berserk! The kids arrive at the library but it’s eerily quiet and Auntie PJ is NOWHERE to be found. They discover they can now enter the land of Mashal at will. But when they arrive, it’s no longer just a quest to find Auntie PJ, but a mission to save the Golem and ALL their fairytale friends too. Thanks for coming along on this season’s adventure! Stay tuned for new episodes this fall. 

The kids and Mr. Saifair come up with a plan to save Mashal and rescue Golem from his destructive path. On that path, our friends find three particularly posh kittens whose unprotected paws have left them stranded in the woods. Learn all about the Jewish value of returning lost objects in the season 2 premiere episode of Beyond the Bookcase. Cinderella and Rapunzel welcome the kids to stay for the night in their tiny cabin. Cinderella clears the air about her bonus mom, Rapunzel gets a new ’do, and everyone learns about the Jewish value of Hakarat Hatov – recognizing the good. Episode Credits: Beyond the Bookcase is a production of PJ Library. Production: Executive Producer, Alli Thresher; Associate Producer, Elizabeth Korelitz Story Editor: Petey Gibson Writers: Jan Schwaid, Petey Gibson Audio editing, mixing, mastering, and score: Peter Moore, Palace of Purpose Studios in Malden, MA Opening Theme Song: Written by Peter Moore and Alli Thresher. Arranged by Peter Moore. Performed by Mister G (vocals) and Peter Moore (instruments). Cast: Miri - Arianna Fox Micah - Maxwell Glick Jacob - Caro Cabal Coniglio Evie - Samantha Philyaw Blue - Maya Aoki Tuttle Kitten 1 - Malcolm Villaverde Kitten 2 - Molly Villaverde Kitten 3 - Blair Which Peter Rabbit - Zad Gravebone Bo Peep - Laura Schreiber Chester the Cat - Alli Thresher Mr. Saifair - Tau Zaman Golem - Pat Bordenave Rabbit - Alli Thresher

Cinderella and Rapunzel welcome the kids to stay for the night in their tiny cabin. Cinderella clears the air about her bonus mom, Rapunzel gets a new ’do, and everyone learns about the Jewish value of Hakarat Hatov – recognizing the good. Episode Credits: Beyond the Bookcase is a production of PJ Library. Production: Executive Producer, Alli Thresher; Associate Producer, Elizabeth Korelitz Story Editor: Petey Gibson Writers: Jan Schwaid, Petey Gibson Audio editing, mixing, mastering, and score: Peter Moore, Palace of Purpose Studios in Malden, MA Opening Theme Song: Written by Peter Moore and Alli Thresher. Arranged by Peter Moore. Performed by Mister G (vocals) and Peter Moore (instruments). Cast: Miri - Arianna Fox Micah - Maxwell Glick Jacob - Caro Cabal Coniglio Evie - Samantha Philyaw Blue - Maya Aoki Tuttle Cinderella - Gwen D'Angelo Rapunzel - Daniella Rabbani

A very handsome swan is in distress - and who is nearby? Why it's Golem! Can the kids help their friend return to his lovely clay self? Episode Credits: Beyond the Bookcase is a production of PJ Library. Production: Executive Producer, Alli Thresher; Associate Producer, Elizabeth Korelitz Story Editor: Petey Gibson Writers: Jan Schwaid, Petey Gibson Audio editing, mixing, mastering, and score: Peter Moore, Palace of Purpose Studios in Malden, MA Opening Theme Song: Written by Peter Moore and Alli Thresher. Arranged by Peter Moore. Performed by Mister G (vocals) and Peter Moore (instruments). Cast: Blue - Maya Aoki Tuttle Miri - Arianna Fox Micah - Maxwell Glick Jacob - Caro Cabal Coniglio Evie - Samantha Philyaw Golem - Pat Bordenave Swan - LD Castro

The kids discover Chelm, a very grey part of Mashal that’s both confusing and confused, if that makes any sense, which it wouldn’t in Chelm. And … Mr. Saifair has a brother?!? Episode Credits: Beyond the Bookcase is a production of PJ Library. Production: Executive Producer, Alli Thresher; Associate Producer, Elizabeth Korelitz Story Editor: Petey Gibson Writers: Jan Schwaid, Petey Gibson Audio editing, mixing, mastering, and score: Peter Moore, Palace of Purpose Studios in Malden, MA Opening Theme Song: Written by Peter Moore and Alli Thresher. Arranged by Peter Moore. Performed by Mister G (vocals) and Peter Moore (instruments). Cast: Evie - Samantha Philyaw Jacob - Caro Cabal Coniglio Dafi - Tau Zaman Miri - Arianna Fox Micah - Maxwell Glick Blue - Maya Aoki Tuttle Golem - Pat Bordenave Yankel -Zad Gravebone

The shul doors are, once again, broken. And the kids are ready to fix more of Chelm. And by “fix,” we mean totally mess everything up. Put on your unicycle helmet and enjoy. Chelm seems to be returning to not-normal, which is great. The kids just need to help one wanderer home from a long trip to nowhere. And, there's one thing missing: Dafi Saifair's brilliant Mumu! Episode Credits: Beyond the Bookcase is a production of PJ Library. Production: Executive Producer, Alli Thresher; Associate Producer, Elizabeth Korelitz Story Editor: Petey Gibson Writers: Jan Schwaid, Petey Gibson Audio editing, mixing, mastering, and score: Peter Moore, Palace of Purpose Studios in Malden, MA Opening Theme Song: Written by Peter Moore and Alli Thresher. Arranged by Peter Moore. Performed by Mister G (vocals) and Peter Moore (instruments). Cast: Evie - Samantha Philyaw Jacob - Caro Cabal Coniglio Dafi - Tau Zaman Miri - Arianna Fox Micah - Maxwell Glick Blue - Maya Aoki Tuttle Golem - Pat Bordenave Man at Wit's End - Zad Gravebone Ms. Meyer - Gwen D'Angelo Mrs. Lam - Alli Thresher Narrator - Alli Thresher

Chag Sameach! Enjoy a Hanukkah gift from PJ Library: a curated playlist of stories just for you. Whether you enjoy these on the way to a gathering with friends or snuggled up enjoying the light of the candles, we wish all of our listeners a wonderful Hanukkah.

Chelm seems to be returning to not-normal, which is great. The kids just need to help one wanderer home from a long trip to nowhere. And, there's one thing missing: Dafi Saifair's brilliant Mumu! Episode Credits: Beyond the Bookcase is a production of PJ Library. Production: Executive Producer, Alli Thresher; Associate Producer, Elizabeth Korelitz Story Editor: Petey Gibson Writers: Jan Schwaid, Petey Gibson Audio editing, mixing, mastering, and score: Peter Moore, Palace of Purpose Studios in Malden, MA Opening Theme Song: Written by Peter Moore and Alli Thresher. Arranged by Peter Moore. Performed by Mister G (vocals) and Peter Moore (instruments). Cast: Miri - Arianna Fox Dafi - Tau Zaman Micah - Maxwell Glick Blue - Maya Aoki Tuttle Jacob - Caro Cabal Coniglio Evie - Samantha Philyaw Golem - Pat Bordenave Frank - Zad Gravebone Sacha - Kristopher Jenson

The kids find someone they’ve been searching for. But there’s no time to sit and swap travel tales – something is still not right in Mashal. Does the mysterious Serach know what's up?   Episode Credits: Beyond the Bookcase is a production of PJ Library. Production: Executive Producer, Alli Thresher; Associate Producer, Elizabeth Korelitz Story Editor: Petey Gibson Writers: Jan Schwaid, Petey Gibson Audio editing, mixing, mastering, and score: Peter Moore, Palace of Purpose Studios in Malden, MA Opening Theme Song: Written by Peter Moore and Alli Thresher. Arranged by Peter Moore. Performed by Mister G (vocals) and Peter Moore (instruments). Cast: Miri - Arianna Fox Dafi - Tau Zaman Micah - Maxwell Glick Blue - Maya Aoki Tuttle Jacob - Caro Cabal Coniglio Evie - Samantha Philyaw Golem - Pat Bordenave Jack - Rich Wentworth Farmer Serach - Daniella Rabbani Mr. Saifair - Tau Zaman Marion Woman in Shoe - Tianna Tagami Peter Pumpkin Eater - Mike Ciporkin Humpty Dumpty - John Henry Kurtz

The Mashal musicians are in disarray and making a lot of noise, and not the cool alternative music kind of noise. It's too loud, it's cacophonous, it's downright unpleasant! Can the kids help?     Episode Credits: Beyond the Bookcase is a production of PJ Library. Production: Executive Producer, Alli Thresher; Associate Producer, Elizabeth Korelitz Story Editor: Petey Gibson Writers: Jan Schwaid, Petey Gibson Audio editing, mixing, mastering, and score: Peter Moore, Palace of Purpose Studios in Malden, MA Opening Theme Song: Written by Peter Moore and Alli Thresher. Arranged by Peter Moore. Performed by Mister G (vocals) and Peter Moore (instruments). Cast: Miri - Arianna Fox Micah - Maxwell Glick Jacob - Caro Cabal Coniglio Evie - Samantha Philyaw Blue - Maya Aoki Tuttle Auntie PJ - Madelaine Ripley Chicken Little - Blair Which Pied Piper - Mike Ciporkin Zev the Wolf - Walter Alice Sickert Chester the Cat - Alli Thresher Dolores the Donkey - Alli Thresher Decklin the Dog - Zad Gravebone Reginald the Rooster - Malcolm Villaverde Jack - Rich Wentworth Farmer Serach - Daniella Rabbani

It's the second to last episode of Season 2! Myrtle the turtle is ready to FLY! But is it the right thing to do, both morally and … aerodynamically? Blue uses their new superpower to teach Myrtle about respecting differences.  To learn more about the Jewish value of kavod, respect, visit pjlibrary.org/values.   Episode Credits: Beyond the Bookcase is a production of PJ Library. Production: Executive Producer, Alli Thresher; Associate Producer, Elizabeth Korelitz Story Editor: Petey Gibson Writers: Jan Schwaid, Petey Gibson Audio editing, mixing, mastering, and score: Peter Moore, Palace of Purpose Studios in Malden, MA Opening Theme Song: Written by Peter Moore and Alli Thresher. Arranged by Peter Moore. Performed by Mister G (vocals) and Peter Moore (instruments). Cast: Miri - Arianna Fox Micah - Maxwell Glick Jacob - Caro Cabal Coniglio Evie - Samantha Philyaw Blue - Maya Aoki Tuttle Hare - Daniel Amerman Myrtle the Turtle - Daniella Rabbani Mr. Saifair - Tau Zaman Marion (Woman in Shoe) - Tianna Tagami Jack - Rich Wentworth Golem -Pat Bordenave Farmer Serach - Daniella Rabbani